Although we’d like to splash out on a quality fragrance, our budgets don’t always allow for a $100 cologne. However, many men prefer not to buy something that’s on a tight budget under $30 either.
In this guide, we’ll present you with the best fragrances for under $50:
Simply use the links above to jump ahead or scroll down to read more!
How To Buy Cologne
Best Colognes By Season
Best Colognes By Budget
Best Colognes By Occasion
Overview
- Fragrance Family: Woody Aromatic
- Seasonality: Fall
- Occasion: Formal
- Longevity: 4/5
- Pricing:
Why Is It Worth The Price?
With a rich and resinous woody aroma profile, Dunhill Icon offers a superior sensory experience. For a mid-range price, its performance is outstanding and provides both long-lasting projection and an enduring longevity. Once in the $100 range, it’s now available at a steal.
Read More: Dunhill Icon Review
Seasonality
Aroma Profile
- Head: Bergamot, Neroli, Petitgrain, Pepper
- Heart: Lavender, Iris, Sage, Juniper
- Base: Oak Moss, Agarwood, Labdanum
Also Featured In
Overview
- Fragrance Family: Woody Oriental Amber
- Seasonality: Winter
- Occasion: Romantic
- Longevity: 3/5
- Pricing:
Why Is It Worth The Price?
Featuring deeply sensual tobacco and leather accords that are perfect for the winter season, The One is a heady fragrance. Although its not the best performer in longevity, it’s ideal for dates during those harsh winter months. Being a touch under $50, it sits squarely in this budget.
Read More: Dolce & Gabbana The One Review
Seasonality
Aroma Profile
- Head: Grapefruit, Basil, Coriander
- Heart: Nutmeg, Ginger, Neroli, Cardamom
- Base: Tonka Bean, Ambergris, Cedar, Guaiac
Also Featured In
Overview
- Fragrance Family: Aromatic Fougère
- Seasonality: All Year
- Occasion: Romantic
- Longevity: 4/5
- Pricing:
Why Is It Worth The Price?
A breathtakingly fruity and complex aromatic fougère, Eros is an ideal all-year performer. If you’re on a budget and you don’t want to build out a collection for all seasons, this may be an ideal companion from those spring days to the hard winter months.
Read More: Versace Eros Review.
Seasonality
Aroma Profile
- Head: Mint, Lemon, Apple
- Heart: Tonka Bean, Geranium, Ambroxan
- Base: Vanilla, Cedar, Vetiver, Oak Moss
Read More
Overview
- Fragrance Family: Aquatic Aromatic
- Seasonality: Spring & Summer
- Occasion: Casual
- Longevity: 4/5
- Pricing:
Why Is It Worth The Price?
Kenzo Pour Homme is one of the most luscious aquatic fragrances that we have tried. If you are fond of Davidoff Cool Water, Kenzo Pour Homme will blow you away. Yet, its refined marine adventure cost only a portion more!
Read More: Kenzo Pour Homme Review
Seasonality
Aroma Profile
- Head: Seaweed, Bergamot, Mahogany
- Heart: Geranium, Jasmin, Sage, Cloves
- Base: Oak Moss, Patchouli, Cedar, Ambergris
Also Featured In
Overview
- Fragrance Family: Aromatic Fougère
- Seasonality: Spring & Summer
- Occasion: Casual
- Longevity: 2/5
- Pricing:
Why Is It Worth The Price?
With fresh melon, basil and cucumber notes, Polo Blue is a refreshing choice. Ideal for summer parties and workouts, it may not be one of the best performing fragrances but it’ll keep you cool under the searing sun. We prefer Kenzo for general summer wear but Polo Blue is an excellent alternative.
Read More: Ralph Lauren Polo Blue review
Seasonality
Aroma Profile
- Head: Melon, Clementine, Cucumber
- Heart: Geranium, Sage, Basil, Leather
- Base: Patchouli, Oak Moss, White Amber
Also Featured In
How Do We Choose The Best Fragrances Under $50?
As we will often highlight, all reviews are written using the Bespoke Unit Fragrance Formula. Our in-house review matrix enables us to provide a quantifiable verdict based on objective scores and evaluations.
This is challenging given that fragrances are a subjective matter. However, we have worked hard to develop an unbiased system. During this process, our reviews are provided scores among which is the value for money. This takes into account the RRP as well as the price we paid in case there was a sale.
We base all these prices on 100ml bottles given that there are many volumes available. This allows us to properly stack them up against one another according to price.
As a result, we ensure that we recommend fragrances according to their value for money when buying the same volume. For instance, it would be unfair to recommend a 25 ml vial at $50 in this list. Similarly, it would be misleading to include a large 6.7 Oz bottle as the bulk price per volume would be less.
On its own, the value for money score only accounts for 4% of the final verdict in the Bespoke Unit Fragrance Formula. However, when archiving our results on a spreadsheet, we can filter out the low scores whilst sorting them by pricing.
Once this is done, we are able to pick out the top 5 fragrances very easily simply based on their results in the original review. Using this as a basis rather than our personal opinions allows us to provide an impartial and comprehensive list of the best men’s colognes under $50.
What Next?
Too expensive or too cheap? We also present our recommended fragrances for other budgets. Just jump back to the top to see the other guides that we offer.
If you want to discover our other fragrance resources, check out some of the following links:
- Latest Men’s Fragrance Reviews
- How To Try & Test Fragrances
- What Are Fragrance Families?
- What Is A Perfume Pyramid?
"Nice selection! A lovely range of different styles, thanks."Rating: 5.0 ★★★★★
Men’s Fragrances Contents
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